After a Collision, Your First Call Should Be to Hillview Auto Body
Rhode Island drivers have a legal right to choose their own repair shop. Since 1977, one Johnston collision center has been making sure they know it — and that they never face the insurance company alone.
The moments after a collision are disorienting. Your heart is still racing, you're exchanging information on the side of the road, and almost immediately your phone rings: the insurance company, with a shop already picked out and a process already in motion.
Most drivers go along with it. They don't know they have a choice. And that's exactly the way some insurers prefer it.
The truth is that Rhode Island law gives every driver the legal right to choose their own collision repair facility — and prohibits insurance companies from interfering with that choice. Understanding that right, and knowing where to turn when you exercise it, can be the difference between a vehicle that is truly restored and one that is patched together to a budget that serves the insurer, not you.
At Hillview Auto Body in Johnston, Rhode Island, helping drivers understand and exercise those rights has been the foundation of the business since founder Tom Hardiman opened the doors in 1977. What follows is everything you need to know before you file a claim, choose a shop, or hand over your keys.
The Scale of What's at Stake
Collision repair is not a minor expense. According to industry data from CCC Intelligent Solutions, the average total cost of collision repair in 2024 reached $4,730 — a 3.7% increase year-over-year, driven by increasingly complex vehicle technology, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), rising labor rates, and escalating parts costs. Complex repairs involving frame realignment, structural damage, or airbag replacement routinely exceed $6,000 to $10,000 or more.
With dollar figures this significant, the shop you choose — and the parts they use, the damage they document, and the insurer they're willing to push back against — has real consequences for your vehicle's safety, your wallet, and your family on the road.
That's not a decision that should be made in a moment of stress, before you've had a chance to think. And it's certainly not a decision that should be made for you by the insurance company.
What Insurance "Steering" Is — and Why It Happens
When your insurance company gives you a list of "preferred shops" or tells you their network can get you in faster, they're engaging in a practice the industry calls steering — directing policyholders toward shops that participate in their Direct Repair Program (DRP).
A DRP is an agreement between an insurer and a body shop. The shop agrees to controlled pricing and cost caps; in return, the insurer sends them business. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement for the insurer and the shop. It is not necessarily beneficial for you.
Common steering tactics include:
- Claiming repairs will be completed faster at their preferred shop
- Implying the insurer "won't guarantee" work done at non-network shops
- Providing a list of "recommended" shops without disclosing your legal right to go elsewhere
- Using language like "that shop isn't in our network" to create uncertainty and hesitation
These techniques are carefully calibrated to guide drivers away from their legal rights without technically breaking the law. And they work — because most drivers have no idea those rights exist.
Steering violates the 1963 Federal Consent Decree, which established that insurers may not direct repair business. Despite this federal precedent, industry observers and consumer advocates continue to document its prevalence across the country. Rhode Island has enacted its own specific protections to address it.
Hillview Auto Body is not on any insurance referral list — by choice. The shop has operated completely independently for nearly 50 years, never signing into a DRP agreement, never subject to an insurer's pricing demands. That independence isn't incidental. It's the reason Hillview can do what a DRP shop often cannot: repair your vehicle correctly, advocate for you against the insurer, and apply their own cost savings directly to your deductible.
Rhode Island Law Is on Your Side
Rhode Island has enacted some of the clearest consumer protections in the country for drivers navigating the post-collision claims process. These are not policy suggestions — they are enforceable legal rights.
R.I.G.L. §27-29-4(15) makes it an Unfair Claims Practice for any insurance company to "require that repairs be made to an automobile at a specified auto body repair shop, or to interfere with the insured's or claimant's free choice of repair facility." Once you inform your insurer that you have chosen Hillview — or any shop — they may not attempt to change your decision.
R.I.G.L. §27-29-4(18) extends this protection to rental vehicles. No insurance company may interfere with your freedom to choose a rental agency. If the accident was not your fault and the at-fault insurer has accepted liability, you are entitled to a vehicle comparable to your own for the full duration of your repair — an SUV for an SUV, not a compact car standing in for one.
DBR Regulation 73 §6D protects third-party claimants: where liability and damages are reasonably clear, an insurer "shall not recommend that a Third Party Claimant make a claim under his or her own Policy." If the accident wasn't your fault, the other driver's insurance company cannot pressure you to run the claim through your own coverage — which could affect your deductible and premiums unnecessarily.
DBR Regulation 73 §7A(2) governs total loss settlements, requiring insurers to establish vehicle value using the NADA Official Used Car Guide or a substantially similar resource. You are entitled to the actual retail value of your vehicle, plus Rhode Island's 7% sales tax and a $25 DMV registration fee if those amounts aren't included in the insurer's initial settlement.
Most drivers never encounter these statutes. At Hillview, knowing them — and making sure customers know them — is simply part of how the shop operates. Hillview's dedicated Claims Specialist, Amanda, works alongside customers through the entire insurance process, ensuring that every entitlement is documented, every right is exercised, and the insurer is held accountable to what the law actually requires.
Why Hillview Is the Right Call After a Collision
The question of which shop to choose is ultimately a question of who is working for whom. A DRP shop works within the constraints of its insurer agreement. Hillview works for the customer in front of them.
Here is what that means in practice:
Nearly Five Decades of Independent Expertise
Founded in 1977 by Tom Hardiman, Hillview Auto Body has been repairing Rhode Island vehicles for close to 50 years. That kind of longevity in a competitive, price-sensitive industry is built on one thing: doing the work right and standing behind it. The shop has never needed an insurance company's referral pipeline to stay busy — because customers who experience the Hillview difference come back, and they bring their families and friends.
A Full Team Built Around Your Repair
Hillview's crew represents every discipline a proper collision repair demands. JR leads the technical team, supported by shop technicians Dan, Jeff, Brian, Keith, Jimmy, David, Walter, and Louis — each bringing specialized experience to the repair process. Kenny, the shop's dedicated paint specialist, handles refinishing with the precision that makes a repaired vehicle indistinguishable from one that was never damaged. And Amanda, the Claims Specialist, manages the insurance side so you don't have to navigate it alone.
This is not a two-person operation improvising through a claim. It's a team that has collectively handled thousands of repairs and knows every stage of the process — from the initial appraisal to the final supplement negotiation.
Your Savings Stay With You
Because Hillview operates outside any insurer's pricing network, the shop has the freedom to discount parts and apply those savings directly toward your deductible. This is a concrete, financial benefit that a DRP shop — bound by negotiated cost agreements that benefit the insurer — typically cannot offer.
If the question is whether choosing Hillview costs more, the answer is often the opposite.
OEM Parts as the Standard, Not the Exception
Rhode Island law is clear: R.I.G.L. §27-10.2-2(b) states that no insurance company may require the use of aftermarket parts in a repair unless the vehicle owner provides written consent to the repairer. For vehicles less than 30 months old from the date of manufacture, you are entitled to OEM parts — parts made by your vehicle's manufacturer, to its exact specifications — as a matter of law, not preference.
This matters more than it ever has before. A Consumer Reports study cited by the U.S. General Accounting Office found that non-OEM parts were of inferior quality, fit improperly, and corroded more quickly than OEM alternatives. Ford's own research found that aftermarket parts caused greater damage in subsequent collisions. And as today's vehicles incorporate ADAS technology — lane-keeping systems, automatic emergency braking, cameras, radar — the NHTSA has warned that even slight deviations from factory specifications in aftermarket components can disable safety features entirely.
Industry data from late 2025 showed that calibration procedures now appear on more than 31% of repair estimates, reflecting the growing complexity of modern vehicle repairs. A shop that doesn't have the expertise to handle these procedures — or that is constrained by DRP cost pressures to shortcut them — can return a vehicle that looks repaired while critical safety systems remain compromised.
At Hillview, OEM parts are the default for eligible vehicles. If your vehicle is a Honda, it gets Honda parts. If it's a Toyota, Toyota parts. Aftermarket components are never installed without your full, written understanding and consent.
ABARI Membership — A Third-Party Standard You Can Trust
Hillview Auto Body is a proud member of the Auto Body Association of Rhode Island (ABARI), the state's benchmark professional organization for ethical conduct and quality standards in collision repair. ABARI actively advocates for legislation that protects both shops and consumers, and provides a fair dispute resolution process when customers and shops need a neutral voice.
Membership in ABARI is a signal that a shop has committed to the industry's professional standards — not just when it's convenient, but as a matter of ongoing accountability.
Complete Transparency From Estimate to Pickup
Collision repair estimates can be genuinely confusing — parts, labor, paint materials, structural repair, scanning, calibration, and supplemental damage discovered after disassembly each represent their own complexity. At Hillview, customers walk through every detail of their estimate with the team. There are no line items explained away with jargon, no surprises at pickup, and no charges that weren't discussed.
When additional damage is found after the vehicle is disassembled — which is common, and is known in the industry as a supplement — Hillview documents it thoroughly and manages the negotiation with the insurer on your behalf. A shop working under DRP cost constraints may be incentivized to minimize what gets documented. A shop working for you has every reason to get every legitimate repair on the table and paid for.
The Five Rights Every Rhode Island Driver Should Exercise
1. The right to choose your own shop. No insurer in Rhode Island may require you to use a specific facility, suggest one unless asked, or penalize you in any way for going elsewhere. Call Hillview at (401) 232-1660. Tell them you've been in an accident. They'll guide you through the rest.
2. The right to OEM parts. If your vehicle is under 30 months old, Rhode Island law entitles you to manufacturer parts. For all vehicles, Hillview will explain your options clearly and will never install aftermarket parts without your written consent.
3. The right to a comparable rental vehicle. If the accident was not your fault and liability is accepted, you are entitled to a vehicle comparable to your own for the full duration of repairs — at no cost to you. Hillview's claims team will help you understand exactly what you're owed and make sure the insurer delivers it.
4. The right to file through the at-fault driver's insurance. When fault is clear, the at-fault insurer cannot require you to go through your own policy. Filing through your own coverage unnecessarily can affect your premiums and deductible. If you're unsure how to handle this, Hillview's Claims Specialist will walk you through it.
5. The right to fair total loss valuation. If your vehicle is declared a total loss, you are entitled to its actual retail value per NADA — plus Rhode Island's 7% sales tax and a $25 DMV registration fee. If the insurer's settlement falls short of those amounts, you can and should push back. Hillview can help you understand what a fair settlement looks like.
What Happens When You Call Hillview First
When you call Hillview Auto Body after a collision, here's what you get immediately:
You get a team that has handled thousands of claims and knows the process from every angle. You get a Claims Specialist whose entire job is to advocate for you. You get a shop that will document every inch of damage — including what the initial estimate missed — and negotiate the supplement with your insurer on your behalf. You get OEM parts unless you specifically request otherwise. You get transparent pricing and a clear explanation of every repair decision. And you get a shop that, because it has no DRP agreement to protect, has every incentive to do the work right rather than to do it cheap.
You also get the protection of nearly 50 years of reputation. Hillview has been in Johnston since 1977. They were here before many of their competitors existed. They will be here after your repair is done, because standing behind their work is how this shop was built.
The Bottom Line
After a collision, everything feels urgent. The insurance company moves quickly, the preferred shop is already on the line, and the path of least resistance is to just go along with it. But the path of least resistance is designed by the insurance company. It is not designed for you.
Rhode Island law gives you the right to choose. Hillview Auto Body — independent, experienced, transparent, and on your side since 1977 — is the choice that puts that right to work for you.
Call Hillview before you call the insurer's shop. Your vehicle, your safety, and your deductible will thank you.
Make the Right Call
Hillview Auto Body & Collision Center 105 Railroad Ave, Johnston, RI 02919 Phone: (401) 232-1660 Toll-Free: (800) 427-1660 Email:
BBB Accredited | ABARI Member | Serving Rhode Island since 1977
Sources and Resources Referenced
- R.I. Gen. Laws §27-29-4 — Unfair Methods of Competition and Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices (Anti-Steering / Unfair Claims Practices) Justia — Rhode Island General Laws, 2022 Edition https://law.justia.com/codes/rhode-island/2022/title-27/chapter-27-29/section-27-29-4/
- R.I. Gen. Laws §27-10.2-2 — Aftermarket Parts: Time Limit Prohibition (OEM Parts Rights) Justia — Rhode Island General Laws, 2022 Edition https://law.justia.com/codes/rhode-island/2022/title-27/chapter-27-10-2/section-27-10-2-2/
- R.I. Gen. Laws §27-10.2-3 — Standards for Use of Aftermarket Parts Justia — Rhode Island General Laws, 2024 Edition https://law.justia.com/codes/rhode-island/title-27/chapter-27-10-2/section-27-10-2-3/
- Rhode Island DBR Regulation 73 — Unfair Property/Casualty Claims Settlement Practices (230-RICR-20-40-2) (Governs third-party claims, anti-steering conduct, and total loss valuation standards) Rhode Island Department of State — Official Rules & Regulations https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/230-20-40-2
- CCC Intelligent Solutions — Crash Course Q4 2024 Report (Industry data on average repair costs, total loss trends, calibration frequency, and claims volume) https://www.cccis.com/reports/crash-course-2024/q4
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — Non-OEM Replacement Sheet Metal Components Interpretation https://www.nhtsa.gov/interpretations/21331ogm
- NHTSA — Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 127 (Automatic Emergency Braking Mandate, Model Year 2029) (Context for ADAS calibration importance in collision repair) https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2024-05/FMVSS-No-127-Final-Rule-web-version-tag.pdf
- Auto Body Association of Rhode Island (ABARI) (Professional trade association; Hillview Auto Body is a certified member) Home: https://www.abari.net About: https://www.abari.net/about
- U.S. General Accounting Office / MWL Law Summary — Use of Aftermarket Crash Parts in Repair of Damaged Vehicles (Documents quality and safety concerns with non-OEM parts, including Consumer Reports and Ford findings) https://www.mwl-law.com/use-aftermarket-non-oem-crash-parts-repair-damaged-vehicles/